The Next Generation - 1
by Ruby Rose Writing
Summary: This is my first try at FanFiction. ! I am a huge Harry Potter fan - and I truly hope everybody enjoys it! Please comment... PLease note that I do not own the Harry Potter Characters except for those I created.
1. Chapter 1

James - Year 1

It was a breezy day and the sun shone weakly on the tar road as the Potters walked into Kings Cross Station. Harry was pushing the trolley with the heavy black trunk and owl cage while Ginny walking next to him held tightly on the hand of their little girl, trying to keep her from bounding after her brothers. The two boys walked in front of their parents and had just started a rowdy argument about school houses when they reached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. James Potter, the eldest of the three children was off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his first year.

"We'll go in pairs" Harry said pointing at the seemingly solid barrier. James and Albus hurried forward playfully pushing one another and in a blink of a second they had disappeared. Ginny and Lily went next hurrying through the barrier after the boys. Harry took the trolley and leaned up to the barrier wall and felt himself slip through.

The platform was already packed with people, mothers crying and hugging their children goodbye and children jumping with the excitement at the sight of their friends. Owls hooted to one another and cats of every colour wound between people's legs.

Harry set off to find his family that were standing at the edge of the platform, near one of the doors and he and James quickly packed his trunk and owl into an empty compartment. They stood on the platform for a while, each giving James hugs, Ginny trying without success to flatten his hair and Lily bursting out crying because she wanted to go with James.

When the whistle sounded that meant that the train was about to go James hopped onto the train, leaning through the window he ruffled Albus's hair and for the first time Al didn't even complain. He allowed his mother to kiss him goodbye and then the train started to move. He watched his family growing smaller and smaller on the platform. Lily chased after the train; till it gained too much speed and then she fell back and waved with the others. The train rounded a corner and James couldn't see his family anymore. He was alone.

James turned away from the window and headed back to the compartment were his owl and trunk were stored. Pushing open the door he saw that the rest of the seats were already full. There were two boys and a girl already filling three of the seats and James stood awkwardly in the door, not sure of what to do next. "I'm James" he said into the silence of the compartment and fell into the open seat.

"Mark" the curly haired boy said holding out a hand. James immediately liked him, he had an air of not giving a damn about what anyone thought of him and that was something that James sought to achieve. The girl was called Maya and the other boy was Luke, and they both seemed quite nice. Luke was obviously the bookish type while Maya was a quiet one who kept to herself mostly.

The country side flew by while the four children started talking and by the time the lunch trolley came by they were already very good friends. James realised he was absolutely starving when the plump witch pushing the cart opened their door and started riffling through his trunk for his money bag. His breakfast felt like ages ago and he paid the witch seven Sickles and four Knuts for a stack of Pumpkin Pastries and Chocolate Frogs.

While they ate their way through the mountains of sweets they played a game of Exploding Snap. The terrain outside the windows had also changed, gone were the neat fields, they were now replaced by forests and great lakes and the train kept moving onwards.

Suddenly the door opened and in it stood three people. At the front was a boy with yellowish teeth and dirty overlong black hair. He looked to be about third year and flanking him was a thickset boy who looked as if he could be part troll and a very tall girl with curtains of blonde hair hiding her face.

"We heard that the Potter boy was in this cart" the greasy one said with a snide smile. "And what is it you want with me" James said getting up and squaring his shoulders. The others in the cart looked surprised, James's surname and parents haven't come up in conversation and they were surprised to find out that he was in fact James Potter.

The greasy haired boy was just about to reply when a beautiful girl appeared behind him and cleared her throat. She was Victoria Weasley and she was also a prefect. The three in the door gave the tiny group one last fleeting glance and disappeared.

"Alright there, James?" Victoria asked winking at him, "I'd get into robes if I were you, we're nearly there." "Thanks" James called after her as she disappeared down the corridor. While Maya waited outside the three boys quickly changed and discussed Victoria. "She's bloody beautiful" Mark said, reminding James strongly of his uncle. "Yeah, her mother's part Veela" James said while pulling open the door for Maya to come in again.

Victoria was right of course, the train was slowing down and James felt a nervous knot in his stomach. Suddenly a voice could be heard, "We will be reaching the station in five minutes, please make your way to the platform as quickly as possible. "Leave your luggage on the train, it will be collected and taken to the school separately."

When the train came to a halt James and his friends climbed of and onto the platform and to his relieve James heard a familiar voice. "First years come with me!" it called and James spotted Hagrid over the heads of his fellow classmates.

When Hagrid spotted James he drew him into a bone crunching hug and they walked together at the front towards the lake. Hagrid asked out about his dad and his Uncle Ron and aunt Hermione, he wanted to know everything and made him promise to come drink some tea on Friday afternoon before commanding the children to get into the boats. James was followed into his by his compartment companions and together they sailed to the beautiful castle looming on the cliff side. The climbed onto the underground harbour piling untidily into a line and following Hagrid up some steps and onto the great lawn. Hagrid beat against the door and a second later in swung open. Professor Turpin was a severe looking woman, with deep set lines around her mouth, possibly from frowning and eyes the colour of the ocean. She led the bunch of first years into a tiny room where they stood closely together listening to her speech. She was going on about school houses and the friends you would make at Hogwarts but James was more interested in the sounds coming from the Great Hall and was truly thankful when she led them away from the tiny room and into the massive and magnificent hall.

The first years were all white and scared looking as they grouped in front of the staff table and the Sorting Hat began to sing to them. It was only when the sorting started that James started to get a little nervous. He has always been so sure that he would be in Gryffindor, but what if he wasn't? What if the hat stuck him in Hufflepuff or worse Slytherin?

He was just debating with himself whether he would leave; sneak away in the dead of night when a familiar name was called. Craven Megan, a girl with blonde hair tied up in a thick plait hurried forward. James knew her from school. Yes, he still had school, but not ordinary primary school, but a special school taught by a witch in their village where she teaches you to read and write but also every basic wizarding rule and law. Megan had been in his class and James watched with interest while she was sorted. The hat sat on her hair for quite some time and after a while the tear near the brim opened wide and shouted, Ravenclaw!

James was kind of disappointed, Ravenclaw definitely was the second best house to go to, but he would have loved for her to be in Gryffindor, someone he knew. Then he was reminded that he wasn't a Gryffindor just yet and the extreme panic set in again. The next name he recognised was Jackson Luke and Luke walked past him on the way to the chair. Luke sat on the chair for a couple of minutes, before the Sorting Hat pronounced him a Gryffindor. James cheered loudly, he had been afraid that he'd lose another friend to Ravenclaw.

Then the dreaded moment arrived as Professor Turpin called, Potter James and James had to force his legs forward.

The hat fell right over his eyes and he was staring at the black inside when a voice whispered in your head. "Potter, well there is no other place for you, it better be, Gryffindor" the last word the hat shouted at the crowd and James could hurry happily towards the Gryffindors, his heart light as a feather. He plonked down next to Luke and now he could see the staff table better. He saw uncle Neville waving merrily from next to Hagrid and waved back, smiling from ear to ear.

Price Maya was sorted just after James and she also became a Gryffindor. As the sorting continued a familiar someone fell into the seat next to James and gave him a hug. This boy was very odd looking indeed, his hair bubblegum blue. "Teddy this is Luke and Maya" James introduced, "guys this is my big brother Ted" If the others were confused they didn't say so. James loved Teddy, he was definitely one of his best friends in the world and he was quite sad that he would be leaving home next year to start work at Gringotts, the wizard bank that Uncle Bill had arranged for him. Teddy stuck around for a little while and then some of his older friends called him and he gave James one more hug and then left to go sit with them. The only one of their little group left now was Mark. The children left to be sorted were not that many. Redstone Mark was called and he hurried from the line. He was pale when his face disappeared into the hat, but almost immediately the hat declared him a Gryffindor as well. In Gryffindor, with his three friends at his table James was extremely happy. He wished the sorting would hurry up though, his stomach was grumbling and he couldn't wait for the feast to start.

James was talking happily to Mark, not really noticing the rest of the sorting when he heard another familiar name. Scremander Lorcan, and a boy with long white blonde hair walked forward and fell into the seat and put on the hat. Lorcan was my aunt Luna's son, he was in James's opinion a little on the strange side, but they still got along fairly well. He was sorted into Ravenclaw, no surprise since that is where both his parents are from, after him there were only three more to be sorted and then Professor Turpin carried the hat and the stool from the hall.

Headmistress McDougal stood up and looked over the hall, "let the feast begin" she called and suddenly the dishes were filled with food. James piled his plate with everything in his reach that looked delicious and started digging in. His mother wasn't a bad cook at all, but he'd never had such a delicious meal and he was just moving on to a desert of treacle tart when a girl with curtains of straight red hair fell into the seat next to him. His cousin Molly, she was a second year at Hogwarts and his Uncle Percy's daughter. "Long time no see Jamie" she said and he wished she wouldn't call him that, he didn't like that nickname. "Yeah" he said still heaping treacle tart into his bowl. Before their conversation could continue however Mark cleared his throat loudly and James quickly introduced Molly to Mark, Luke and Maya.

He didn't really like the look in Mark's eyes and was more than glad when Molly said something about other friends she wanted to see and hurried along. "What is it with your family" Mark said, still eyeing her as she retreated. James just shook his head not trusting himself to speak.

Drowsy, their legs as heavy as lead they followed Victoria and other of the prefects up the Marble staircase towards the dormitory. James whose dad told him all about Hogwarts and all the secret passages and staircases wasn't surprised at their route or the fat lady in a pink dress requesting their password. "Kobo Motor" Victoria replied and the painting swung away leaving the entry to a common room. Slowly climbing the spiral staircase they finally reached a door with a sign that read 'First Years' and they let themselves in. It was James, Luke and Mark, a pudgy guy name Donald and a tall black kid named Wayne. They each quickly chose a four poster and fell into bed the moment they had their pyjamas on. "Wonderful isn't it?" Wayne said into the silence. "Yeah" James agreed before turning around and getting lost in a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning having paid no attention the last night they struggled for at least twenty minutes to actually reach the Great Hall. James was just spreading marmalade on his toast when Professor Turpin came around and handed them each a class schedule. They would be starting with Transfiguration and James quickly ate his toast because they needed time to find the classroom.

They were just out of the Great Hall about to climb the staircase when the three children that they had met on the train appeared on the stairs. When the one with the greasy hair saw James he sneered and purposefully nearly knocked him to the ground on the way to the hall. James couldn't understand why he seemed to hate him so much, he wanted to keep his nose clean, not make enemies on his first real day. "James you better watch out for him" came a voice from behind the little group that James recognised. It was a caramel coloured girl, with thick black braids, Roxanne, also his cousin. Right behind her was her twin Fred, named after dead Uncle Fred, and he was nodding.

"Hey you guys" James greeted, "These are my friends, Maya, Mark and Luke. This is my cousin Roxanne and Fred. And why should I watch out? Who is he anyway?" James asked.

"His name is Ronan Prince, third year" Fred said leaning against the barrister of the staircase. "Scary bloke, his family have been in Slytherin for centuries but he's the first one to come here in years. His dad was a big supporter of You-Know-Who, he is still in Azkaban." James swallowed at his dry throat. No matter how many times he has heard stories of Voldemort, and even though he knew Voldemort was definitely gone he couldn't help feeling fear. If he thought about all the terrible stuff he did, like murdering Teddy's parents and killing Uncle Fred who wouldn't be afraid.

"Can you guys maybe show us to Transfiguration" Luke asked suddenly checking his watch, "we have no idea where to go." "Sure" Roxanne said leading the way up the stairs. The first Transfiguration class was interesting enough, the Professor changed her desk into a pig and back but instead of letting them try, she made them change matches into needles. Transfiguration James quickly realised, magic itself wasn't just saying funny words and waving your wand. He had barely managed to change his match at all. Only Luke got a rare smile out of their Professor because his had gone all silver and pointy.

When they exited the classroom James, in a world of his own walked straight into a girl just outside the door. She wasn't just any girl however he realised as his heart started to twang like a giant elastic band; she was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. "Watch where you're going Jamie" he heard someone say and saw Molly standing right behind the beautiful angel in the door. "Sorry about that" he said and quickly ducked out of the way to let her in. "No problem" she said and her sweet voice washed over him. He was on cloud nine al through break-time and wasn't even bothered when they turned up ten minutes late for Charms because they couldn't find the classroom. Professor Lynch just shook his head as the four of them raced into the class, and pointed out their seats, they seemed to be the last to arrive. All the Ravenclaws were already seated and James could see that thick blonde plait of Megan's swinging in the first row. The Professor started his class by talking the register and then went on for several minutes about how some people discredit Charms as a wholly discipline, but that if will be some of the spells that we'll use most often in life. James was more concerned about that beautiful girl he'd met. He knew he was only eleven, but that girl with her chocolate brown hair and those huge brown eyes was stuck in his head and he barely heard or cared when the Professor gave them homework. James hung around the class while the others hurried to the hall for lunch to greet Megan. She was very happy to see him and gave him a quick hug and they walked off to the hall together. They split up on the way to their tables and James joined his friends. He quickly explained how he knew Megan before piled shepherd pie onto his plate and digging into it. The last class for the day was Potions. James had a mixture of excitement and dread as they started to climb the steps down to the dungeons. It was cold down here, colder than the rest of the castle and James was quite happy when they had started fires underneath their cauldrons that warmed them up as well. The Professor, Professor Rickman kept breathing in their necks and peering into their cauldrons ad he set them to work on making a simple potion to cure boils. It was only when Donald managed somehow to fill the entire room with a dense smoke smelling like rotten eggs that the Professor gave up and told them to pack away. James was exhausted after his first day and it was only at eight that night, trying to finish his horrible Charms homework that he remembered that he hadn't written to his parents yet.

He grabbed parchment and a quill, quite glad for an excuse not to be working and wrote them a long letter with a detailed description of every moment since they left him on the train. He left out the part about the beautiful girl, and decided not to mention Ronan because he didn't want his mother to worry and he finished the letter with love to everyone. He promised himself that he would get up early to run to the owlery before breakfast the next morning.

Luke his homework already done was practicing his Transfiguration spell while Mark sat snoozing in his chair and Maya pulling a thick book from her bag to start reading. James just looked around the common room and what he saw made his heart back flip and cartwheel. It was the beautiful girl he'd seen in Transfiguration; she was a mere meter away from him. He sat just staring at her for quite some time and it was only when she left that he declared himself tired and went off to bed as well.

The next couple of days went as smoothly as possible, they finally started to manage to find their way to classes without getting lost all the time. Ronan was quite, even though he still glared at James whenever he saw him, there wasn't any run ins and James started to adjust and enjoy life in the castle.

After Potions on Friday James and his friends hurried to Hagrid's hut for tea. He was ecstatic to see James and he seemed happy to meet all the new friends. The afternoon drew by lazily as they sat and talked, drank tea and ate rockcakes that they had been too polite to refuse. Hagrid was however, James felt, acting a bit strangely and while Hagrid was busy making another pot of tea he found out why from a forgotten clipping from the Daily Prophet on the table.

_Massive Ministry Blunder_

_Reports have been issued that 5 high security prisoners in the early hours of the first of September did in fact escape from Azkaban prison. These wizards are:_

Trent Mackenzie

Bane Price

Perenelle Pollock

Carter Lane

Walter Spiel

_Sightings of any of these wizards must please be reported immediately and if spotted do not approach these wizards; they are armed and extremely dangerous. Head of Auror office, Harry Potter was asked to comment on the escaped prisoners, "We at the Auror office are trying out absolute best to recapture these convicts. They are a threat to society and we ask the help of all wizards. Be alert and if you see anything suspicious, please contact the Ministry as quickly as possible"_

I could feel my mouth hang open! Five escaped prisoners in one go, how was that even possible. I left without telling Hagrid what I had read, but none of my classes had given me as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. My father was searching for escapees, five of them. People who were behind bars for heinous crimes, people associated with dark magic, associated with him! But forgetting the fact that there were murderers on the loose and my father was trying to catch then, there was also the question of Bane Price.

It was Ronan's father I was sure of that, and the thought of him on the loose, with my dad hot on his trail with his son so close to mine made my head spin.

When James entered the common room he noticed two things. One was the fact that there was a large notice pinned to the board that read that the Quidditch team trials would be held the following day. The next was his owl Margot sitting on the back of one of the chairs, a thick letter clutched in her beak. James quickly grabbed the letter, stroked her feathers softly and while she flew out the window to the owlery he quickly tore open the letter. His parents was very excited about Gryffindor and everything he'd told them about school and at the end of the letter his father mentioned how busy he is at work due to the breakout. They have also included that clipping from the paper and James read it again hoping it would change. When he read the name Bane Prince again he felt a shiver run up his back and he wondered for only a minute whether he should tell his father about Ronan before he quickly pulled parchment from his bag and started a letter. At the end of his letter, to lighten the atmosphere he added that he was going to ask Teddy to try out for the Quidditch team.

Teddy was the caption of Gryffindor's team and was in charge of selecting the rest of the team members and James was sure if he just had a shot he would be better that any of the chasers that tries out. He gave it a shot, running up to Teddy who sat quietly in the corner of the common room by the window measuring his essay. It was about three times the length of the essay that James had to write for Herbology and for a moment he was unbelievably grateful that he was only first year. Teddy of course said no, James had been hoping but he guess he understood the reason behind it. First years weren't technically allowed and it would be such a fuss to get him a broomstick and even though he might be better than some trying out they wouldn't see it that way, and would think that Teddy had only done his brother a kindness. James wanted to be on the team because they recognised his talent, not because people believed he'd forced his brother into it. Thus the next day when they went to watch the trails, after having convinced Luke that they could use a day without working James decided to enjoy a year of watching and try out next year instead. They tried the Chasers first. Teddy was one so they only needed two others. There was a couple that were unbelievably bad; they couldn't even manage to score without a Keeper trying to block their goals. Finally they were thinned and Teddy asked last year's Keeper to man the goals, and two stood out. Victoria who didn't miss a single shot and a tall gangly looking boy with mousy hair called Gareth Parrish. Next to be tried were the Beaters and there was no mistaking it, Roxanne and Fred flew like a well oiled machine and they seemed to read each other's minds and move together across the field. The Keepers were easy; last year's Keeper Matthew Brooks would keep his spot because the others could barely stop a single goal. The Seekers were the hardest and James was getting unbelievably frustrated, he would make out a better Seeker than these clowns and he didn't even have that much skill. He thought of Albus when that thought entered his mind, of his brother, light and speedy, racing through the air, he'd inherited his father's Seeker skills. The Seeker was seventh year last and they had to replace him and James could see the worry in Teddy's face until a tall black boy walked onto the field. James recognised him, but couldn't place him for quite some time. Finally he realised that it was Tyron Shacklebolt, the Minister's son. You could see the relief on everybody's faces when he pulled from a dive the snitch caught between his fingers. That night desperate to finish his essay for Potions so he wouldn't have to work the next day James spent some extra time in the library while the others went up to the common room. There while searching for books on potion ingredients he found Lorcan behind a stack of books. Lorcan jumped at the sight of him but calmed when he recognised James. James and Lorcan sat talking for quite some time; James even fetched his Potions and completed it sitting at Lorcan's side. It was only when his essay was finished and he started giving huge yawns that he left Lorcan and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. The next day there was a big notice pinned to the notice board, first years would be learning to fly that Tuesday and Gryffindor will be learning with Slytherin. Luke looked slightly pale at the notice and James wondered if he'd ever been on a broom before as they hurried away from the notice board to breakfast. "So what do we do today?" Mark asked staring around the hall as if someone was going to give him the answer. "You still need to finish your Potions" Maya said her eyes narrowing. "Yeah, yeah, keep your hair on, I'll do it, but later" Mark said giving her a winning smile. She just shook her head but said nothing more on the subject. The day of their flying lesson dawned bright and cold, the grass crunched under their feet as they made their way down to the Quidditch Pitch. James's immediately fell in love with the place, and he couldn't wait to be flying. The teacher Mister Moore told them all to get in line next to a broomstick. After mounting it she went around correcting some people's grips on their handles. Uncle Neville or Professor Longbottem as James was now supposed to call him now hurried past with a gaggle of third years who were supporting a girl with thick blonde hair who was clutching at her bleeding arm. "Alright there James" he called as a greeting and seeing James's expression added, "Venomous Tentacula is teething" The callout to James however caused another student to look around, and James only caught Ronan's smirk before Mister Moore attracted the class's attention and he was forced to look back at his teacher. The flying lesson wasn't exactly taxing stuff, James already knew the basics and that is pretty much all they did because some of the children could even stay on top of the broom for more than a minute. When Mister Moore was explaining to Luke how to grip his broom so he wouldn't slide of the end James kicked of hard from that ground and soared into the air. He heard Mister Moore's voice carried on the wind that he was going to break his neck but he was already making his lap around the pitch and it was freeing to be flying again, to be speeding through the air. It was the one thing he couldn't do at Hogwarts because first years weren't allowed brooms and it was the thing about home he missed most. Mister Moore shouted at him for about ten minutes when he touched back down and took 10 points from Gryffindor. "He should have realised you can fly and wasn't about to kill yourself" Mark said as they ate their dinner. "We'll he did say only to leave the ground with his permission" Maya added pompously and Mark just shook his head ignoring him. "What is it I hear of you and a flying lesson" Teddy suddenly asked falling into the empty chair next to James his hair a shocking shade of purple. "Long story" James replied colouring slightly


End file.
